China's concealment of the SARS epidemic has created resentment in the international community. The world has become a global village. After the Chinese government began to implement reform measures in 1978, it discontinued its practice of isolationism. Therefore, the outbreak of the SARS epidemic was not the exclusive affair of China alone. It was impossible to confine the epidemic within China in such a way that it could have no influence on other countries in the world. Yet China deliberately played down and even hid the facts surrounding the epidemic, so that not only did Chinese nationals have no idea about the risks they faced (and therefore could take took no protective measures), but the health of foreigners conducting business or sightseeing in China were also needlessly jeopardized. Such a backwards way of handling an epidemic not only violates the human rights of the Chinese, but also reflects the Chinese regime's underlying indifference to human lives. The most absurd thing is that China did not announce the number of identified cases of infection (and only those identified up to February) until the SARS epidemic had gotten out of control and even then, they did so reluctantly. Except for people in Guangdong Province, where the spread of the epidemic is quite serious, the majority of Chinese are still unaware of how serious the epidemic has become, let alone the need to prevent the spread of the disease. Some Chinese thought SARS was an infectious disease that originated abroad. This is of course due to the fact that the Chinese media hardly mentions the epidemic at all. WHO investigators did not even get permission to enter Guangdong Province until only a few days ago.
The bulk of international media commentary has condemned the bullish and irresponsible attitude of China. Even Hong Kong's media has spoken out against the Chinese government's handling of the matter, which caused the special administrative region to be drawn in to a severe health crisis, further devastating its economy. In an editorial published on March 31, the Wall Street Journal went as far as calling on the entire world to implement a quarantine of China, so as to compel Beijing to govern responsibly. The newspaper further indicated that it was not the first time that Beijing had swept such problems under the rug, pretending that there was no outbreak of infectious disease. Case in point was how the nation handled the spread of AIDS through blood transfusions. The editorial also said that although SARS remains a big mystery to the world, as far as its quick spread was concerned, there was no secret at all -- it was due to the government's concealment of the epidemic at the early stages of its outbreak. The Journal stated that the refusal of health officials to issue a warning about the disease showed a lack of social responsibility. Not only does Beijing suppress information about the disease from its own people, it has also been reluctant in seeking outside help to trace the virus, the Journal said. The editorial therefore proposed that all countries suspend travel to China until the country implemented transparent public health measures.
To the people of this country, the SARS epidemic is an unexpected disaster. However, every cloud has a silver lining. SARS has also let the people of Taiwan see the Chinese government for what it is -- a totalitarian regime -- and also to see the "one country, two systems" for what it is -- a scam. Hong Kong, where the "one country, two systems" policy has been instituted, has become an area severely struck by the epidemic due to the inappropriate policy. The severe economic blows and public panic caused in Hong Kong by SARS make the people of Taiwan thank their lucky stars that their country is not also a special administrative region. Otherwise, the SARS epidemic would likely have gotten out of control in Taiwan the way it did in Hong Kong. The Chinese opposition to Taiwan's entry into the WHO has made the nation an orphan in the battle against SARS, exposing the Chinese refrain that the people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are blood kin as nothing but a lie. If Taiwan is able to learn this lesson from the SARS epidemic and thereby stop the trend of "beautifying China and eulogizing Taiwan," the nation should certainly be able to get the best out of the crisis. If that happens, it will truly be a blessing for the people of Taiwan.
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